The Memphis Grizzlies worked out Tyler Tanner on Wednesday, putting one of the more notable unresolved prospects of the draft cycle in front of a team that controls three picks in the first two rounds. Tanner had only hours left to decide whether to keep his name in the 2026 NBA Draft or pull out and preserve his NCAA eligibility.
Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported the workout, and the timing made it meaningful: the early-entrant withdrawal deadline was 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Tanner has been viewed as a potential first-round pick, and feedback from the Grizzlies could help shape how he handles the final stretch before the cutoff.
The Grizzlies entered the draft with the third overall pick, the 16th overall pick and the 32nd overall pick, giving them enough range to talk seriously with a player like Tanner. That made Wednesday's workout more than a routine visit. For a prospect still weighing his future, Memphis had a clear incentive to make its case.
Tanner's situation has been fluid for days. The Vanderbilt guard had been one of the more notable prospects who had not finalized his decision, and his status carried added weight because he had been identified as a player with first-round potential. That left him with a narrow window to choose between staying in the draft and returning to school.
The context around the workout was already familiar to anyone following his path. Tanner later withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft and announced his return to Vanderbilt basketball for his junior season, settling the question that hung over him on Wednesday night. Before that decision, though, the Grizzlies had their chance to influence it, and the fact that they took the meeting said plenty about how seriously they viewed him.
Memphis does not need to use its picks on the same type of player, but Tanner's profile fit the kind of uncertainty teams try to resolve at this stage. A workout cannot make the decision for him. It can, however, confirm where a prospect fits and how much a franchise wants him. On Wednesday, that was the story: a deadline, a visit and a player deciding his next step with the clock running out.
